Scaling the heights on their own

Scaling the heights on their own

The smiling faces of the 50 women taking part in the Kartini
Climb this year belied their determination to reach the top of
2,958-meter-high Mount Gede in West Java.

Organized by the GRESPALA nature lovers group to observe
Kartini Day, which fell on April 25 in commemoration of the
Indonesian women's rights pioneer, it was the fourth annual
climb. Participants came from Bandung, Jakarta and Yogyakarta.

On a theme of "the spirit of Kartini, independent women", the
participants -- including six policewomen from the Jakarta Police
and two women who have climbed the Himalayas -- set out in the
morning and reached Suryakencana field in the afternoon, where
they set up their tents and camped overnight.

And then the climb began. The biggest smile of all -- one of
joy, relief and pride -- was saved for the moment when they set
foot on the peak.

-- Text and photos by P.J. Leo